How to Keep Your WordPress CMS Website Hack-free

One of the most important things for every WordPress CMS website owner is to be secure and safe from potential hacking. Many people often make the mistake of thinking it won’t happen to them, but hacking is a danger that lurks, and when you are promoting your business online, you want to protect all your data related to your products or services. Circulating viruses are considered to be the common issue. However, situations where the website was hacked and crashed are also present.

Here, we will outline some of the most important elements to keep your site hack-free, but for a more in-depth tutorial, you can check out this article.

Ways to protect your WordPress CMS website:

You need to have a strong password – when it comes to WordPress CMS website protection, your password is one of the most significant things. In many cases, hackers will gain access to the website through the password. Your password should be long and strong, and it should contain numbers and letters. The length should be more than eight characters. Also, when creating a password, avoid featuring words into it. Choose the letters and numbers randomly. When you create a password, make sure to write it down, and put it in a safe place. You should change the password every once in a while.

Update WordPress – another aspect of keeping your WordPress CMS website hack-free is to update WordPress. When a new version is available, make sure to get it. You have two main options: one-click update, which is the simplest and easiest option, and the manual update process. If you use the old version, the chances you will be hacked are much higher, because for hackers, every new version of WordPress is a new obstacle. At Ignition Media, we always point this fact out to our clients.

Preform backups – let’s explain why this is vital. There is always a chance your website will be hacked. If you don’t have a backup, everything you have been working on will be permanently erased. Also, with a backup, you can recover anything, no matter how complicated the issue is.

Use security plugins – there are a wide range of WordPress security plugins to choose from. The most important areas on which you need to focus are: firewall, hardening, and tracking. Before you choose the plugins you will use, we suggest you to do a little research, and gather information about the plugin.

Limit or restrict access – limiting access to the users is something we highly advise. Another thing you need to consider is when to restrict access. For example, if your former employees had unlimited access, you should restrict it, to avoid any unwanted situations, and potential hacks. The plugin we use for our clients is Limit Login Attempts; I urge you to use it also.

What to do if your WordPress CMS website has been hacked?

There are several things you should do if you have been hacked.

Copy the websites which have been hacked, including the access log files

The next very important step is to put the website into quarantine, in maintenance mode. That will prevent any further hacks as well as new data loss.

Clean the websites which have been hacked – you have two main options: to restore from a backup, or to remove the malicious code.

By checking the logs, you will need to find out how the hackers attacked.

Solve issues in security, change the passwords. The site can work again.

Conclusion:

Keeping your website safe and secure is one of the most significant things. You always need to be focused on it by various methods which will make your website hack-free. Things such as changing the passwords, keeping WordPress up-to-date, backups, plugins, and access changes, do not require too much time, but they are very important for protection. Those who have experienced a hacking know how frustrating that is. There are several things which must be performed immediately in order to prevent data loss, or new hacks.

If you have been hacked, keep calm and contact the experts, because you will avoid further frustration. When it comes to protection, the best solution is to contact professionals. If you need assistance, and if you would like your WordPress CMS website to be secure from hacks, the Ignition Media team is always ready to help you out by providing professional support. Just give us a call on 07 55 687 515.

Nicole Brooke | Administrator

Nicole is owner and SEO of Ignition Media. She has been an SEO for 15 years and has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to SEO, content marketing and Social Media exposure. Follow me on Google+View all posts by Nicole Brooke →